Free Republic

Rockfish is on the menu around the Pacific Rim, for the most part with little regard for the fish's origin or which of the 137 species is on the plate—it's typically identified simply as rockfish or, incorrectly, as rock cod or red snapper. But this seemingly anonymous fish—among the longest-lived vertebrates on Earth—holds clues to the genes that determine lifespan and the pluses and minuses of living longer. In a study appearing this week in the journal Science, biologists at the University of California, Berkeley, compare the genomes of nearly two-thirds of the known species of rockfish that inhabit coastal...

A one-eyed copper rockfish at the Vancouver Aquarium is now sporting a glass eye to prevent it from being bullied by other fish. Dr. Lesanna Lahner of the Seattle Aquarium fitted the aging rockfish with a bright yellow taxidermy eye to help protect it from being “picked on” by other fish that viewed its empty eye socket as a sign of weakness. “It’s doing well,” Lahner told Metro. “Since it’s had the prosthetic eye, it’s been out and about and acting more like a normal rock fish.” Lahner, who has been fine-tuning the procedure for the past few years, lent...

More than 50 attendees attending an NAACP gala in Redwood City Saturday evening were sickened by a case of possible food poisoning. At least twelve people were taken to local hospitals and treated for dehydration, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Several others transported themselves to hospitals. Cynthia Adams, 2nd vice president of the Oakland NAACP, told KPIX 5 there may be as 100 people who became ill. The official said that she had to transport half a dozen kids to the hospital, and at least one of them is still hospitalized late Tuesday night.

Photo in the News: Century-Old Fish Caught in Alaska April 6, 2007—A handful of Christians preparing rockfish as part of their traditional fish dinner this Good Friday might be feasting on one of the oldest creatures ever to live in Alaskan waters. Commercial fishers in the Bering Sea recently hauled in the female shortraker rockfish seen above, which scientists say was between 90 and 115 years old. Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) used growth rings in the fish's ear bone, or otolith, to make their age estimate. NOAA scientists also found that the fish's advanced years...